In the Mexican city of Cancún, Desde El Café has captured the hearts of listeners as the region’s longest-running non-musical radio show. Defying convention, it has been broadcasting from restaurants instead of a traditional radio booth for most of its 25-year history.
The Desde El Café show airs on Radio Caribe, a public radio station in the state of Quintana Roo. It features conversations about timely cultural, social, and community topics with artists, writers, scientists, politicians, and other figures from Cancún society, the rest of the state, and around the country.
But as the pandemic disrupted conventional broadcasting, the show had to adapt to its changing circumstances. It turned to BlueJeans Meetings to continue reaching audiences, while engaging them in new ways.
Exploring New Broadcast Avenue
Desde El Café traditionally relied on remote-controlled equipment to connect the hosts from where they were broadcasting to the radio broadcast booth. However, COVID-19 brought the show to a halt, forcing its producers to find a way to resume airing after more than two months of hiatus.
“The show plays an important role in our society, so we had to figure out a way to continue reaching our listeners,” says Remote Broadcast Producer Jorge Francisco Ugalde García.
By the time the pandemic forced all activities to a halt, the producers had already been connecting their broadcasts to social media for two years using Facebook. Now faced with the challenge of continuing their program, they had to find the best possible solution to broadcast it not only on traditional radio, but also on social media.
“We only wanted the best platform for streaming and after trying out several options, we ultimately decided on BlueJeans Meetings,” explains Ugalde. “It was more user-friendly and provided better transmission quality than other software products. Configuring the connection to Facebook Live was also easy.”
Overcoming Limitations, Expanding Reach
In June 2020, Desde El Café resumed broadcasting on Radio Caribe while simultaneously streaming via Facebook Live. The show’s producers used BlueJeans Meetings to connect the hosts and guests from their homes with the radio station, enabling them to overcome the restrictions of COVID-19 and to expand their audience.
“We’ve reached people from other parts of Mexico and the world, thanks to Facebook Live,” says Ugalde. “In fact, our level of audience reach now matches that of traditional mass media platforms like radio and television.”
By mid-2022, Desde El Café’s producers decided to go back to the original format of broadcasting live from the restaurant Lindo Oaxaca. However, they had to find a new approach after their remote-controlled equipment was damaged during the pandemic.
“We didn’t have the financial resources to replace the equipment,” notes Ugalde. “But fortunately, we had our BlueJeans application.”
Preserving Authenticity, Streamlining Broadcasting
The show is now broadcast in person, with guests gathered around a table at Lindo Oaxaca — and with BlueJeans Meetings acting as a remote connection, linking Desde El Café to Radio Caribe.
Using the BlueJeans platform, Ugalde’s team airs the show with two mobile phones. One captures a full shot, covering most of the guests and hosts, while the other is fixed to a tripod on the table to shoot close-ups. The team has added two lapel microphones to optimize sound quality.
“We’ve adapted our transmission to radio standards without requiring a remote controlled unit,” says Ugalde. “That has made our work so much easier and our operations more cost-efficient. And as a radio show, we have created a great platform on social media.”
This has helped Desde El Café maintain high ratings both on air and the internet.
“Without BlueJeans, we wouldn’t have been able to preserve the authenticity of the show or its significant cultural and social value. And we wouldn’t have been able to continue our decades of broadcasting history.”
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About the Author
Sharni Medina is the Director of Customer Marketing at BlueJeans Network, where she is responsible for sharing the voice of customers through customer-driven content and supporting business reference needs. Prior to joining BlueJeans, Sharni worked at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, leading their customer advocacy and referencing organization. Sharni holds degrees in Education and Physical Education from the University of Alberta and a Masters in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco. Outside of the office, Sharni enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.
